Lens vs Auxerre Prediction 22 August 2026
π Lens kick off their season with silverware, claiming the French Super Cup for the first time in their history after edging out PSG 1-0 on Sunday-even though they played over an hour with ten men. Their first Ligue 1 opponent arrives with a familiar face on the touchline: Auxerre are now managed by Will Still, who spent the 2024/25 campaign as part of the Lens coaching staff. This marks Stillβs debut with his new club-and it comes at a stadium he knows inside out.
Head-to-Head
π The head-to-head record favours the northern side: Lens have claimed 26 wins against Auxerreβs 14, with 13 matches ending in draws. Lens have found the net in five of their last seven meetings with Auxerre. One notable exception came in the spring of 2025, when the visitors stunned the crowd at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis with a 4-0 victory, featuring a brace from Ado Onaiwu. That evening, Still was in charge of the hosts. Since then, the rivalry has reverted to tighter scorelines-Lens secured all three points in Auxerre in October, and edged out their rivals at home in January.
Head-to-head statistics Lens - Auxerre
Lens Team Overview
Last season marked Lens' best campaign in 25 years: they finished second with 70 points, lifted their first-ever Coupe de France, and secured a spot in the Champions League. The team were particularly solid at home, conceding just 13 goals across 17 league fixtures.
Lens carried that same approach into Sundayβs match-disciplined at the back and clinical up front. For PSG, this defeat in a trophy match was their sixth in the history of the competition, and their first in five years. Florian Thauvin netted the winner, set up by Mathieu Udol.
Match Results: Lens
Auxerre Team Overview
Auxerre finished last season in 15th place with 34 points, narrowly avoiding the relegation play-offs thanks to a final-day victory over Lille. Of those 34 points, Auxerre managed just 12 away from home. In 17 away fixtures, they averaged less than a goal per match-scoring only 16 times-while conceding over one and a half per game, with 27 goals allowed.
The Burgundy side raised their level in the closing stages of the campaign. After 26 rounds, Auxerre had just 19 points, but they picked up 15 more over their final eight matches. Still, their attack never truly clicked-34 goals across the season, averaging exactly one per game.
Match Results: Auxerre
Latest news
Lens
β The biggest headline of the summer in Lens is all about the managerial change. Pierre Sage, who guided the team to second place and a cup triumph, has departed for Crystal Palace. His replacement is German coach Dino ToppmΓΆller. The Super Cup marked his first official match in charge, and as he prepares for his Ligue 1 debut, heβll have to cope without Kylian Antonio- the defender is serving a two-match ban after a straight red card. The injury list includes three more absentees: Jonathan Gradit, Samson Baidoo, and goalkeeper RΓ©gis Gurtner.
Auxerre
β In June, the club parted ways with Christophe PΓ©lissier and, on June 12, appointed Will Still as their new manager. For the 33-year-old coach, this marks his third stint in French football after spells with Reims and Lens, with a brief interlude at Southampton-16 matches before being dismissed in November. Still inherits a challenging injury list: defenders ClΓ©ment Akpa, Fredrik Oppegard, and Bryan Okoh are sidelined, along with midfielders Romain Faivre and Lasso Coulibaly. On the bright side, Auxerre have built up some momentum in pre-season-after losing to OrlΓ©ans, they went unbeaten in three straight friendlies and claimed an impressive victory over Werder Bremen in Germany on August 15.
π Probable Lineups
π Lens projected starting XI: Risser - Nawrocki, Ganiu, Bulatovic - Udol, Cuisance, Tetrahui, Abdelhamid - Thauvin, Sima. The spot vacated by the suspended Antonio in defense remains up for grabs.
π Auxerre projected starting XI: Mezerette - Senaya, Sive, Diomande, Sy - Ahamada, Owusu, Danoua, Diousse - Namaso, Casimir.
β½οΈ Goals Prediction
At home, Lens averaged two goals per game last season-35 in 17 Ligue 1 fixtures. Theyβve also netted exactly 10 times in their last five outings. Auxerre conceded 44 goals last campaign, and Still is rebuilding their backline from scratch. So, itβs unlikely the hosts will be limited to just one goal here. The bet: Lens individual total over 1.5 at odds of 1.62*.
π© Corner Kicks Prediction
Over their last 20 official matches, Lens fixtures have averaged 10.8 total corners, while Auxerre's games see an average of 9.65. The combined average for this matchup stands at 10.23, which is notably above the 9.5 line set by bookmakers. The hosts contribute the lionβs share, winning 6.8 corners per match compared to the visitorsβ 4.9. Auxerreβs opponents, meanwhile, earn an average of 4.75 corners per game. The recommended bet is over 9.5 total corners.
π¨ Yellow Card Prediction
Mathieu Vernice, one of Ligue 1βs strictest referees, will be in charge of this match. Last season, he averaged 4.3 bookings per game. Both sides have a track record to back up a busy night for the referee: in Auxerreβs last 20 official fixtures, matches have featured an average of 4.45 cards, while Lens games have seen 3.65. The visitors themselves contribute significantly-picking up two yellow cards per game, with Lensβs opponents averaging 1.7. The recommended bet is over 3.5 yellow cards.
*Odds are approximate and may vary across different bookmakers.
π Editorial Prediction
Last season in Ligue 1, Lens were unbeatable at home, recording 14 wins and just three defeats in 17 matches. The head-to-head stats tell a similar story-Lens have avoided defeat against Auxerre in nine of their last eleven meetings. Auxerre, meanwhile, are set for their first official game under a new manager and will be without three defenders. Given these factors, itβs hard to see Auxerre taking any points away from the Stade Bollaert-Delelis. Our pick: Lens to win. Predicted scoreline: 2-0.
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Betting Tips: Lens - Auxerre
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in 7 of last 8 games (Ligue 1).in 11 of last 12 games against Auxerre (Ligue 1).in 9 of last 10 games against Auxerre.in 17 of last 19 home games.in 8 of last 9 games.in 16 of last 18 away games (Ligue 1).in 14 of last 15 games against Auxerre (Ligue 1).in 12 of last 13 games against Auxerre.in last 7 home games against Auxerre (Ligue 1).
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